Generation of serrated and wavy petals by inhibition of the activity of TCP transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

The final shape of shoot lateral organs, namely, leaves and flowers, is determined by coordinated growth after the initiation of primordia from shoot meristems in seed plants. This coordination is achieved by the complex action of many transcription factors, which include the TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, and PCF (TCP) family. We have recently reported that CINCINNATA-like (CIN-like) TCP genes act dose-dependently to regulate the flat and smooth morphology of leaves in Arabidopsis thaliana. In contrast, the roles of CIN-like TCP genes in flower development are poorly understood. In this report, using multiple tcp mutants and transgenic plants in which the activity of CIN-like TCP transcription factors is dominantly inhibited, we found that these TCPs regulate the smooth and flat morphology of petals. Based on these findings, we discuss a possible strategy to generate a fringed morphology in floricultural plants.